White iron is a very hard cast iron in which the carbon forms hard carbides rather than soft graphite. This makes it ideal for use in pure abrasive wear
applications. Alloying elements can be tweaked to change the amount of carbide formed, and thus alter the amount of impact tolerance the material has. In total abrasion, white iron having a very high carbide content will easily outlast one with a lower carbide level, but drop it on the floor and it may crack or chip. In higher impact applications, a manganese steel would likely be of more use.